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“What makes the characters of Dishonored unique, is that fact that we have chosen them to be peculiar and with a clear identity since the beginning.” - Florence Lapalu, Lead 3D Character Artist

Dishonored’s exaggerated character designs have received plenty of attention, and this week you can get a closer look at Florence’s contributions to the game at ZBrushCentral.com. To learn more about the creation of Dishonored’s characters and world, be sure to watch our archived behind-the-scenes look here.

Nominations for the 10th Annual SPIKE Video Game Awards were announced today and we’re happy to share that both Dishonored and Dawnguard received nominations. Huge congrats to both Arkane Studios and Bethesda Game Studios for this well-deserved honor.

Here’s the nomination breakdown:

Dishonored

Game of the Year
Best XBOX 360 Game
Best PS3 Game
Best Action Adventure Game
Best Graphics

Arkane Studios

Studio of the Year

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best DLC – Dawnguard

See all the nominees and learn about the advisory panel behind the awards at Spike.com. Then tune in for the VGAs, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, on Saturday, December 7th at 9 PM ET.

If you haven’t picked it up already, Dishonored is now available across North America (and France)! In the photo above, members of the Arkane team in Austin celebrate during last night’s midnight launch party at GameStop.

For more on the game, check out the latest reviews

1Up(A+) - “expect to see Dishonored hovering at or around the top of just about everyone’s list.”

Entertainment Weekly (A-) – Smart, thrilling, and unsettling, Dishonored is the best surprise of the season.

411 Mania – (9/10) – “It’s great to see a game that gives the full freedom of killing as many or as little people as you want. Definitely check this out.”

Complex - “Dishonored is the type of game that begs to be played over and over”

GameFront (9/10) - “Dishonored’s creators have obviously put a lot of passion into the project, and the result is a great experience that offers new additions to some phenomenal classic formulas. The game feels like a conversation between player and creator, and those are often the best experiences in the medium.”

Paste Magazine – But the genius of Dishonored is how subtly its fiction and mechanics work together to draw the player into its world.

Impulse Gamer (9.3) – “Dishonored is the thinking man’s first person shooter but throw those guns away as there are so many more interesting ways to take on your enemies. With a great protagonist, interesting characters and well-written story, it’s games like Dishonored that really make you sit up and take notice.”

Xbox Addict (96%) – “One of the biggest innovations of Dishonored is how the game itself will adapt to your play style and base how the game unfolds on your Chaos rating.”

GameTrailers (8.7/10) – “It’s an interesting and often invigorous experience.”

Gaming-Age (A-) – If you’re in the mood for something fresh and unique, and legitimately fun to play, then Dishonored definitely fits that bill.

Cheat Code Central (5.0) - “Dishonored is incredible both as a game and as a work of art.”

Inc Gamers (9/10) - “Despite all of its different elements, it’s a cohesive, intuitive experience. Not once do you feel as though you’re being cheated or told to do something.”

Penny Arcade Report - “Fans of the Deus Ex series are going to be very happy with Dishonored, and players will be sharing their stories and interesting moments on forums and Twitter for weeks after release.”

The Sixth Axis (9/10) – Perhaps the most striking thing about Dishonored is the way the later stages of the game change, depending on how you’ve approached earlier missions.

For more Dishonored goodness, be sure to check out these additional items

As you prepare to delve into Dishonored, co-creative director Harvey Smith is here to provide some helpful pointers on playing through the game.

Take it away, Harvey!

Dishonored has been an amazing project to work on. Raphael and I have a huge appreciation for all my teammates, the people at Bethesda, and all the players who have poured their passion into our work. Here are some quick points that we believe will enhance the experience of playing the game.

Beginning at midnight, stores around the country will allow customers to be the first to purchase Dishonored. To confirm what time they’ll open their doors, check with your local retailer.

If you happen to live near Austin, you’re in for a treat. Beginning at 10 pm, co-creative directors Harvey Smith and Raphael Colantonio, as well as other key members of the development team, will be on hand at the Austin Arboretum GameStop at 10000 Research Blvd to celebrate the game’s launch.

We’ll have prizes and giveaways at the store, including Corvo masks for the first 45 fans that line up. Once the game goes on sale, you’ll be able to get both the game and the official Brady Games strategy guide (you can save 10% if you purchase both together) signed by members of the team. Nick, Angela (pictured above), and I will be there, too!

Can’t make it to GameStop? You can purchase the game digitally. Below are details on when the game unlocks worldwide.

October 9th

12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET) for North America, Central America, South America, and France

October 10th

12:01 AM local Tokyo Time for Asia (excluding Japan)

12:01 AM local Madrid Time for Spain

October 11th

12:01 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) for Australia and New Zealand

12:01 AM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) for all territories other than North America, Central America, South America, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand

“It’s a big, shiny example of so much we keep asking for in games, but rarely get. Luckily, the best way to vindicate it is to buy and then play an amazing game.” – PC Gamer (92/100)

That’s one of many highlights from all the reviews pouring in for Dishonored. With under 24 hours until the game launches in North America, there’s plenty of reviews to read up on.

Before heading off to bed, here’s a quick rundown:

Polygon (9/10) – “With everything against it, Arkane has created a game with a unifying vision and design that stands apart from its contemporaries as something different. But more importantly, Dishonored succeeds as an ambitious game not content to take one thing and do it well.”

Gamespot (9/10) – “It’s a rare game that feels so compulsively replayable, but Dishonored is such a game.”

EDGE (9/10) – “It’s a rare delight to play a game with such consistency of vision, its art design, level architecture, rulesets, storylines and writing all working in lockstep.”

Revision3 (video review above) – “It’s detailed and engaging and unique. It’s one of the best game of the year.”

Official PlayStation Magazine(9/10) – It succeeds because it gives you the freedom to mastermind incredible set-pieces for yourself, rather than showing you a scripted sequence. It’s as good as first-person gaming gets, and it’s set in one of the most original gameworlds in years, calling to mind Half-Life 2’s oppression-ravaged streets, and an intricate level design style reminiscent of Deus Ex, System Shock and Thief games from the old days, necromancing gaming maxims that seem to have all but died in recent times.”

The Escapist (5/5) – “Grab it so you’ll know what everyone is talking about when the Game of the Year conversations start happening.”

Kotaku – “It’s a bizarre, eclectic blend, the type of combination that might seem too ambitious to work. But the resulting game is nothing short of a masterpiece.”

Rock, Paper, Shotgun – “Dishonored is a work of rare imagination and skill, the sort of thing that can’t simply be copied and repeated.”

Destructoid (9/10) – “Dishonored is that game of 2012. It’s the big intellectual property that comes to retail and shows up the competition by being bold, original, and — more importantly — brilliant. Easily deserving of its place among the BioShocks and the Borderlandses, Arkane’s aggressive, non-aggressive, unsubtle, sneaky, thoroughly versatile tale of intrigue makes for the kind of game that reminds us this generation isn’t all straightforward shooters and “me too” trend-seekers.”

GameArena (10/10) – “Dishonored, like Thief, or Deus Ex, is one of those timeless games you’ll play a dozen times.”

IGN (9.2/10) – “Players who really take the time to enjoy the experience are rewarded too. The more runes, bone charms and money you find, the more you can augment and upgrade your character, and the more bad-ass you’ll become.”

OXM (9/10) – ” Arkane Studios has crafted what’s likely the year’s best new IP, and by tapping into elements of so many of this generation’s greatest games, this adventure sneaks up, grabs you, and won’t let go.”

Watch ‘In the Mind of Madness’, the final chapter in three-part Dishonored webisode series entitled ‘The Tales from Dunwall’.

‘In the Mind of Madness’ introduces Piero, a key figure in the city of Dunwall, and who also plays a pivotal role in Corvo’s story.

All three episodes, which were created by Psyop and Rokkan, scored by Daniel Licht (Dexter) and narrated by Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick Ass), are currently featured on the game’s official site, www.Dishonored.com.

‘The Tales from Dunwall’, the three-part Dishonored webisode series continues with the release of ‘The Hand the Feeds’. While the first episode reveals how Dunwall was revolutionized by a new energy source, this next chapter is a cautionary tale – one that illustrates the advantages, and the dangerous disadvantages, of accepting supernatural abilities from The Outsider.